Gospel Topics

In the early 1830s, when The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints was less than three years old, the Lord invited members of the
Church to seek wisdom by study and by the exercise of faith:

“And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words
of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning,
even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118).

This is more than a simple exhortation to learn
about the gospel. It is an invitation from the Lord to recognize that not all sources of
knowledge are equally reliable. Seeking “out of the best books” does not mean seeking
only one set of opinions, but it does require us to distinguish between reliable sources
and unreliable sources.

Recognizing that today so much information about The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can be obtained from questionable and often
inaccurate sources, officials of the Church began in 2013 to publish straightforward,
in-depth essays on a number of topics. The purpose of these essays has been to gather
accurate information from many different sources and publications and place it in the
Gospel Topics section of LDS.org, where the material can more easily be accessed and
studied by Church members and other interested parties.

Media reports have at times offered inaccurate or
distorted analyses of some of these essays. We urge all to read the essays as written
rather than relying on the characterization of their content by others.

The Church places great emphasis on knowledge and on
the importance of being well informed about Church history, doctrine and practices.
Ongoing historical research, revisions of the Church’s curriculum, and the use of new
technologies allowing a more systematic and thorough study of scriptures have all been
pursued by the Church to that end. We again encourage members to study the Gospel Topics
essays cited in the links to the right as they “seek learning, even by study and also by
faith.”